Daine's first midwinter
by sweetmari
Summary: This is Daine's first midwinter...what will happend?
1. Chapter 1

**So my dear ... I, like everyone else, also need to have a place for my drabbles. So now you get the first ... it has been in my head all day, even while I was at work ... so hope you enjoy them all :-) and of course ... please, review 3**

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**Midwinters Luck**

Daine was busy choosing which ribbon she would tie the hair with. It was midwinter and the party was held later.  
"Let it be Kit" she said absent. "You can't eat it" Daine cast a fleeting glance at her foster child who was sitting with a shiny bright red fruit of a kind, "wherever you got it from ..." She continued , while her fingers glided over the five different bands, lying on the dresser in front of her. Light purple, light blue, dark blue, dark purple and cream ... Daine sighed. It had been hard enough to choose the dress, now she was facing yet another choice ...

"I would choose the blue ..." A deep voice said behind her, which made Daine flinch. She turned and saw her teacher, Numair Salmalin, who stood leaning leisurely in the door frame.

"It's easy enough for you ... it is not you who must wear a dress, delicate slippers.." she accused while she grabbed the dress skirt and pulled it up in a 'Have you seen this-gesture' to make her statement "... and why is it so difficult, Numair? .. Why can I not wear a white blouse and brown pants ... "Daine was losing patience. She held the cream colored ribbons against her hair, the feisty curly long brown hair. She swore.

"You sound just like Onua ... and because it is the only time of year we can celebrate" Replied Numair quiet as he walked up and stood behind her.

Daine closed her eyes ... one ... two ... three ... four ... five .. six .. she counted slowly, as she took a deep breath.

"And I think it must be the dark blue one ... it matches your eyes" Numair stood close behind her, and took the ribbn from the table. "And by the way ... so you spend too much time with Onua, her language rubs off on you. A young girl like you at court do not swear. "

"You swear as just as much, Alanna is the worst ... and she is also at court" Pointed Daine, while she let the cream-colored ribbon fall against the dresser.

Numair chuckled ... "It's something else ... close your eyes".

"Why?" Daine looked skeptically at him in the mirror, and saw how he smiled mysteriously. "Not one of your little jokes again?" She asked suspiciously.

"No ... magelet ... do as I say."

Daine took a deep breath again ... one ... two ... three ... four ... five ... six ... she felt how his big hands gathered her hair and pinned the blue ribbon in her hair. A moment later it was her intention to open her eyes, but Numair's warm hands were gently placed against her ears .. first one, then another ... what was he doing? She asked herself silently.

"So ... now you must open them," he replied quietly, almost hoarse.

Daine opened her eyes. First she could not seen anything but her hair had been tied with the ribbon. She turned and turned her head ... nothing. Then she caught sight of them ... they shone blue, with small glimpses and was embedded in silver ... earrings? "Numair?" Whispered she ... "Why?"

"Midwinter gift" he replied with a shrug and a smile. "One of the many ..."

Daine gaped, "They are beautiful, Numair! Thank you ... "She turned and stood on her toes, she could barely reach ... and kissed his cheek. "Midwinter luck" she said, blushing. "How do I look?" She asked as she spun around herself, making the dress move. Dress or not, what he had just given her had changed her mood.

"You look absolutely beautiful, magelet ... as always" Replied Numair, with the same redness in his tanned cheeks.

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**I know that there are many who have described how Daine got her earrings ... now have you yet another story to the collection :-)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Flashback **

Daine smiled as Numair offered her his arm with an elegant bow ... "Shall we ... we must get over there before they begin serving food" he said while Daine silently dropped her hand down on the black silk shirt he wore .

"Yes ... let's ... I'm totally hungry" she said, while they left her room with dragon baby half running behind them ... still with an unknown red fruit in its mouth.

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Daine enjoyed being waited on, this was completely different from her life in Galla. She had not thought about it for a while and she felt a bit of guilt, this was the first time she had to keep midwinter without her beloved mother and grandfather.

They arrived at the great hall, where all the walls were decorated ... she nearly did not recognize the place when the entire hall had been transformed with candles standing over everything. The normal lights were dimmed and with every movement a person made , lights flickered.  
Her mouth formed a silent 'wow'. Long tables had been gathered close together and stood in long rows on the floor. Numair led her toward them and pulled the chair out politely for her ... this gesture, Daine was not familiar with, and she ended up standing still for a while ... not sure what she should do.

"The idea is that you should sit down, magelet" Numair explained to her. He had apparently read her confused expression.

"Oh ..." was all she said as she walked in the front seat and while Numair pushed the chair cautiously, she lost her balance and sat firmly down on the chair with a thud. Damn, she thought embarrassed. It was hard to maneuver around in the new and strange conditions she lived under.

Numair sat down beside her. He reached over and took the carafe while Kitten had positioned herself in front of them in an empty seat.

"What's with Kitten?" He asked suddenly, while he poured red liquid into two crystal glass that stood on the table ... first Daine's and then his own.

Daine turned her attention to her forster child. She had been busy observing the queen, Theyet, who had arrived with King Jon. Daine had wondered how many dresses the black-haired beauty owned, while her own hands had sought over the elegant fabric of her dress. "What ..." she asked, absent.

"Kitten ... what's up with her?" Asked Numair again, this time with his brows furrowed close together in concern.

In front of them the Dragon baby sat with both paws planted around its snout. From the corners of her mouth, small wafts was blown out at every breath it took.

"I ... do not know, Numair ... she has played with some funny fruit since this afternoon" Replied Daine calmly, she had often seen the Dragon baby taste different things ... it had at one point jumped at some of Numair's jars. It had taken Numair several days to observe the baby, when she in the subsequent hours and days had hiccupped green bubbles.

"Hmmm ... I would like to have had hold of Alfvén's legendary text of dragons ... he could ..." said Numair thoughtfully.

Daine heard only with half an ear to what he was saying, this was one of those times where she knew she could not keep up with his conversation.

"... Unfortunately they're just in Carthak, so I will probably never get ..."

Daine's eyes searched towards the great door. A group of women came into the extravagant dresses ... she sighed ...

"... Maybe if I looked after in Louis's anthropology, then it could be that ..."

Daine saw Onua, who was one of the very last of the women in the group ... when Daine made eye contact with Onua, Onua cut a grimace as the whole group in front of her began to giggle. They had cast long glances in the direction of her teacher. Daine had heard the first rumors about Numair's brief acquaintances.

"... Or maybe the diaries of Mallinowski would reveals something more ..."

Onua had reached them. "Are you now embarked on magical thinking, Numair? It is midwinter, for God's sake .. take a break! "Complained Onua, while she almost as clumsy as Daine sat down beside Dragon. "Nice earrings, Daine, are they new?"

Daine smiled. That Onua was equally unfamiliar in a dress as she herself was nice to discover. She let her hand look up to her midwinter gift from Numair ... she nodded.

"Onua ... I only wondered about Kitten's stomach stability ... she has been in the kitchen and found one of the mature Capsiscum ... you know, the ones that burn your mouth by if you get a small piece or get one's eyes watering, if you do not wash your hands after touching it ... I just wondered if there was something about it in the ancient texts ... they could be ... "explained Numair.

Onua met Daine's eyes and both ended up in a regular fit of giggles ... and Numair went silent.

"Maybe you're right ... probably not the right occasion nor the right people to discuss how tough our little dragon young is" sighed Numair.

"Excuse Numair, I owe Daine a copper coin ..." laughed Onua, while she poured reddish liquid into a crystal glass and took a sip.

"You ... what?" Numair asked, clearly confused by this turn of conversation.

Daine and Onua continued to chuckle right up until George came up to them ...

"Let the poor man be" he said, and laid his big hand against Numair's shoulders. Alanna's husband turned to Daine smiling ... "Welcome to the last party of the year, Daine. Hope you're looking forward to the dance later ... have you promised the first dance to anyone yet? "He asked as he took Daine's hand and kissed it lightly.

Daine smiled...behind him stood his wife ... with her hands placed on the sides of her dress and with a very skepisk expression.

George straightened up slowly ... "She standing behind me, right?" He asked smiling as he blinked at Daine.

Daine nodded.

"Well ... there's nothing like a jealous woman" he chuckled, as he quickly turned around and in a jiffy he grabbed Alanna and kissed her deeply.

Daine smiled ... but her smile froze ... dance... Daine fund herself in a flashback ... _she remembered clearly how she had sat with Miri, yesterday, talking about their daily work. They had finally found a moment where they could catch up. They were interrupted by a dancing Evin, with a full tray, he had been dancing all the way across the floor ... humming._

_"Someone's in a good mood" Had Miri said, while Daine had hid a smile behind her hand. Her two friends were really something special. They were very different, yet they fit well together._

_"Yeah ... it's midwinter in the morning ... someone must create the good atmosphere" Had Evin answered, as he had put the tray down. Quickly he had grabbed hold of Miri and pulled her up to stand ... then he had dragged her into a waltz, to silent music._

_Daine remembered how she had seen Miri first smile, and then how the girl in the arms of Evin had thrown her head back, laughing loud._

_"Evin ... stop ... stop" Had she pleaded. "I get dizzy ... your dolt"._

_After a few more dance moves Evin had let go of Miri and turned around to Daine, with one hand waiting in front of her .. "Now it's your turn ... my lady". Had he said with a clumsy bow ..._

_"Evin ... I can not dance" Daine had told him._

_"Another good reason to practice" Had he replied, grinning. He had taken a step closer to her, and had stood over her, with the widest grin._

_Daine had been prepared to be protesting again, but was saved by Sarge, who had bellowed an order that made all the recruits on their feet within seconds. Evin and Mirir had left a visible relieved Daine._

_She had left the dining room and had fled ... in this refugee, she bumped into someone who had gotten her to fall on her butt. A great hand had been handed down to her and helped her up again ... while Daine had brushed her buttocks, she had finally looked up and found the king stood in front of her._

_"I'm sorry ... I walked deep in my own thoughts" Had he said with a smile._

_Daine had shaken her head ... it had been her fault, but she had accepted the apology. "It does not matter ... YourHighness" Had she said as she looked up at the man who six months earlier had sat opposite her alonge with Numair, and had told her that she had the wild magic's ability._

_"But it was good that we bumped into each other ... I was actually going to look for you, Daine" Had King Jon said as he absent scratched his black close-cropped beard._

_"Oh". She had gradually learned not to take notis of her beating heart, she always got in the king's presence._

_"I thought, or we thought ... or Numair thought ... and indeed Onua ... and then Alanna ... then came George and persuaded me ... you have so many good friends here, Daine ... I hope you know that "Had King Jon said, before he continued. "That it might be nice for you, tomorrow night, after dinner ... Queen riders keep the their own party, and you are welcome to participate in theirs, but if you wanted to, you could invite two friends .. .. I know you talk a lot with lady Miri and master Evin, maybe this party will not feel so ... overwhelming "._

_Daine had gaped openly. Here was a king who thought of her well-being in this new place .. she had quickly recovered, and had then bowed deeply as she had thankfully accepted the offer. She had hurried down to the stables and had asked her two friends if they wanted to ... Miri had overreacted, and thrown herself at Daine with hugs. Evin, had stood gaping ... as much as Daine had just done a few minutes before. She had had to warn him that if he did not soon closed his mouth, there would be a bird trying to nest there. Which had led to Evin closing his mouth with such a speed that he subsequently made a tour around the_ _healers, with a sprained jaw._

_Daine had again flee the area and had this time sought up on the only hayloft, she knew there was enough room and had started some attempts to dance ... she had not been allowed to be left in peace long as she with her back to the ladder suddenly heard a deep laugh._

_She had recognized it as Numair's. He had stood on the ladder with amusement in his eyes. He had continued to laugh without moving, and Daine's had finally smiled ... she could see what it looked like, she with wobbly legs trying to practice patterns she did not yet know. Smiling and a bit annoyed, she quickly bent down, gathered some hay and had thrown it after Numair. He had then threatened her that if she continued her attack he would find a way to get the largest toads, he could find and smuggled them in her bed at night. Daine then had to remind him that it was the middle of winter and there were no toads this time of year, which had forced Numair to climb the last steps up and had taken a pile of hay and thrown at her._

_Daine had finally surrendered and sat down heavily on a hay bale, breathless. Numair had come over and sat down beside her, also breathless. They had been sitting in silence for a few minutes before Numair had broken the silence._

_"What were you doing up here, magelet?" Had he asked her as he had drawn long hay straw out of his black hair._

_"I ... tried to dance" She had replied hesitantly, while she sat and pulled hay out of her long hair._

_"Dance ... why?" Had he asked, as he had helped her to remove the last vestiges of hay._

_"I can not dance, Numair ... and tomorrow night is expected of me that I can dance just like everyone else ... even Evin want to dance with me ... and what if the king comes and asks ... . I will not be a fool "She had conceded to him. She then sat and waited for him to laugh at her, but nothing came._

_"That I should teach you about your magic, I knew ... but that my teacher skills had to be tested to teach you to dance, I had never thought ... but luckily I, your humble servant, are a skilled dancer ... it will be an honored if you would let me lead you "Had Numair said._

_Daine had after the words sat with a confused expression, but after a few seconds she had pieced his words together ... he wanted to teach her to dance. She, then jumped up from the hay bale, taken Numair's hands and pulled him along. "How do you do then?" Had she asked a little too eagerly, which forced Numair to chuckled_

_"First, you must learn how to hold when you dance ..." Had he explained. _

_And several hours later, Daine ahd learned the three most basic dances and had acquired two pairs of sore feet because she had not been quick enough to move them from Numair's big feet in his winter boots._


End file.
